Goa Government has hurriedly amended the Goa Excise Rules, with a clear motive of helping “Silly Souls Café and Bar” in escaping from the clutches of the law, knowing that the illegally obtained liquor licence by the now controversial ‘Silly Souls Café and Bar’ in Assagao allegedly run by the family of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani was clearly in the wrong.
This notification issued on 10th October permits an Excise licence to be assigned to any other person or a Partnership firm. The rules have been amended not in public interest but to malifiedly protect the blatant illegalities and fraud committed by Smriti Irani’s family.
The amended Rules are contrary to the Goa Excise Duty Act, 1964 and particularly Section 104(1) which mandates that a license granted ispurely personal and not transferable. Once the Act bars such transfer, the Rules, which are subordinate Legislation, cannot override the parent Act nor run contrary thereto. These new rules being illegal cannot be acted upon, being still-born.
The Excise licence obtained by late Anthony Dgama in January 2021 was by fraud and suppression of facts. In 2022 it was renewed in a dead man’s name as Anthony Dgama had passed away on 17th May 2021.
The family of Anthony Dgama before the Excise Commissioner have denied that the property where Silly Souls Café & Bar is located was leased to Eightall Food and Beverages. But the lease agreement obtained from the Goa Food & Drugs Administration has revealed that the premises were infact leased with effect from 1st January 2021 for a period of 10 years at a monthly rent of Rs 50,000 to Eightall Food and Beverages which is operating in partnership with Ugraya Mercantile Pvt Limited of which Zubin Irani the husband of Smriti Irani is a Director.
The GST No 30AAIFE7039H1ZM used by Silly Souls Café & Bar is also in the name of Eightall Food and Beverages as well the Food & Drugs Licence too. This tailor made notification is to now legalise the illegality to the benefit of Smriti Irani’s family.
It is anguishing that whilst the Government claims to be waging an all-out war against illegal acts in the State and whilst the common man was suffering, the Government has dared to bend and crawl, just to save their political bosses from embarrassment.
